The Gift Makes Way

“A man’s gift makes a way for him, and ushers him into the presence of the great.” – Proverbs 18:16

When Jason and I were boys growing up in Dallas, TX we always wanted to play baseball at a big public school. We figured that we’d be recognized by more college and professional scouts if we were at a large school, yet our dad continued to repeat the above verse to us. He would say, “Boys, your gift in baseball will make a way for you – and one day it will put you in front of all the scouts. You just simply need to sharpen your gift and not worry about where you play in high school.”

So we stayed at our little private school that didn’t even have a baseball field. We played all our games away and barely won ten games each season. Yet we diligently worked hard to make our gift as sharp as we could make it. We trusted the wisdom of our dad who had gleaned wisdom from the Bible.

One day, as high school juniors, a scout called us from the NY Mets. He said he had heard about us through the grapevine and wanted us to work out for him at a local college. Excited beyond belief Jason and I jumped in our truck and drove to the field. After working out for him he asked us to play for his summer league team. Two summers later we signed full baseball scholarships to Liberty University (our dream school) and were both heavily scouted by several Major League teams. After college we signed with the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles.

The gifts that we have will make our way regardless of our current circumstances. We simply need to be faithful to sharpen our God-given gifts and trust that the timing will all work out. I’m glad we listened to the advice of our father, who was faithful to listen to the advice of our heavenly Father.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE: Make a list of your children’s gift-sets. Find a way to sharpen them and encourage your child. One day you will be able to sit back and see how each child’s gift makes way for them. Do the same for yourself. Then take a deep breath, smile, and get to work sharpening your gift!